From left to right: Virna Gonzalez (ReMain Nantucket), Stacy Montes (Housing Nantucket), Wendy Schmidt (ReMain Nantucket), Anne Dougherty (Remain Nantucket), Anne Kuszpa (Housing Nantucket), Will Stephens (Stephens and Co), Cecil Barron Jensen (ReMain Nantucket). Billy Cassidy (Fairgrounds Commons), Jenn King (ReMain Nantucket), Claire Martin (ReMain Nantucket), Wilda Falconer (Housing Nantucket), and Charlyn Puza (Housing Nantucket)
ReMain Nantucket Supports Innovative Solar Project at Wiggles Way
August 31, 2022- In support of our goal to operate Wiggles Way with net-zero energy usage, ReMain Nantucket is helping us fund the construction of an on-site solar power installation. As many are aware, Wiggles Way is Housing Nantucket’s latest affordable rental housing development currently under construction on Fairgrounds Road.
The solar installation, approved by the Historic District Commission (HDC), will be situated atop a parking pergola structure on the property, the first such installation on Nantucket. The renewable energy will be used to offset utilities for the residents, a concept that has been tested by Housing Nantucket on six other properties and funded by the Community Foundation for Nantucket’s ReMain Fund.
With the solar installation, Housing Nantucket expects to produce 133 MWh of electricity per year at the site, amounting to an annual savings of $30,000 for the nonprofit and its tenants. Over the course of 25 years (factoring in a 3.0% annual utility increase), this will amount to $1.1 million in savings for these families most in need as well as reduce the island’s reliance on fossil fuels.
“This project is an opportunity to demonstrate creative solutions that can make clean energy affordable and accessible,” said Wendy Schmidt, founder of ReMain Nantucket. “ReMain Nantucket is pleased to help advance, in our corner of the world, the global, community-driven effort for a just transition to renewable energy.”
“Financial support from ReMain allows us to bring clean power to year-round working families,” said Anne Kuszpa, director of Housing Nantucket. “High utility costs consume a significant portion of the household budget for many islanders, and present a barrier to financial stability. By assisting with the large upfront expenses associated with the installation, ReMain Nantucket allows us to bring the benefits of renewable energy—lower and stabilized energy costs—directly to this underserved population.”
ReMain Nantucket is the latest organization to join this public-private partnership between the municipality, nonprofits and the private sector. Housing Nantucket bought the two-acre property at 31 Fairgrounds Road in 2021 from the family of Fred “Wiggles” Coffin, who died in 2004. Grants and a construction loan were appropriated by the town’s Affordable Housing Trust using funds allocated by Town Meeting voters.
Wiggles Way will feature 22 apartments across eight buildings. The one-, two-, and three-bedroom rental units will be restricted to year-round residents earning 50 to 150% of the area’s median income. Generating solar power on site is a key component in Housing Nantucket’s goal to operate the facility with net-zero energy usage, combined with energy efficiency measures implemented by design.
In addition to building three LED certified buildings in the historic district and supporting the Nantucket High School’s wind turbine, ReMain Nantucket has invested in many renewable energy projects through the Community Foundation for Nantucket’s ReMain Fund. In addition, ReMain Ventures installed a new solar system on a pergola at the Nantucket Culinary Center on Federal Street, providing energy to the building while also allowing visitors to charge their electronic devices.
